Material Guidelines

Thank you for following our Material Guidelines. By following these guidelines, you help us reduce our carbon footprint while minimizing transportation, warehousing, and processing costs. As a result, we are committed to making the process as simple as possible while striving to offer our free service to as many libraries as possible.

Here are our guidelines for what to ship versus recycle locally:

Send to Better World Books:

Books and Monographs

Example

SEND:

Books and Monographs


Rare Books
(See Antiquarian & Rare) (North America Only)

Example

SEND:

Rare Books


Children’s Books
(Including unused workbooks and activity books)

Example

SEND:

Children’s Books


College Textbooks
(published within 10 years)

Example

SEND:

College Textbooks


Foreign Language Books (with ISBN)
Spanish, French, German, Russian

Example

SEND:

Foreign Language Books (with ISBN)


Fiction and Nonfiction
(hardcover and paperback)

Example

SEND:

Fiction and Nonfiction


 

Condition Requirements

Books must be free of mildew, mold/mould, excessive dust and dirt. In addition, books cannot have water damage, nor should they exhibit excessive spine damage, have missing pages or missing covers. Please leave any library treatments intact. No part of the book’s pages should be removed with scissors or razor blades.

 

Do Not Send to Better World Books:

Annuals and Yearbooks

Example

DO NOT SEND:

Annuals and Yearbooks


Audio Cassettes, VHS Tapes, LP Records/Vinyl, & Computer Software

Example

DO NOT SEND:

Audio Cassettes, VHS Tapes, LP Records/Vinyl, & Computer Software


Book Club Editions
(Reader’s Digest Condensed and Time-Life Books)

Example

DO NOT SEND:

Book Club Editions


Britannica and World Books Encyclopedia

Example

DO NOT SEND:

Britannica and World Books Encyclopedia


Procedural Law Books

Example

DO NOT SEND:

Procedural Law Books


Custom Course Packets

Example

DO NOT SEND:

Custom Course Packets


Directories, Telephone Books and Indexes

Example

DO NOT SEND:

Directories, Telephone Books and Indexes


Duplicate Copies
(in excess of 20 copies per title)

Example

DO NOT SEND:

Duplicate Copies


Unsellable Editions
Free Copies, Review Copies, Examination Copies, Complimentary Copies, Not for Sale Copies, Not for Resale Copies, Counterfeit Copies, Unbound Edition, Advanced Reading Copies, Uncorrected Proofs, or Galleys

Example

DO NOT SEND:

Unsellable Editions


Journals and Periodicals
(ex: Literary Criticisms)

Example

DO NOT SEND:

Journals and Periodicals


Microfilm and Microfiche Newspapers and Magazines

Example

DO NOT SEND:

Microfilm and Microfiche Newspapers and Magazines


Non-Western Script Books
(See Rare Books)


Tax and Government Documents or Forms


International Editions or Low Price Editions (LPE)
Applies to clients shipping from the US only

Example

DO NOT SEND:

International Editions or Low Price Editions (LPE)


Hybrid Editions

Example

DO NOT SEND:

Hybrid Editions


Stand Alone Access Cards

Example

DO NOT SEND:

Stand Alone Access Cards


DVDs and Blu-Ray Discs

Example

DO NOT SEND:

DVDs and Blu-Ray Discs


Audiobooks and CDs


Video Games

Example

DO NOT SEND:

Video Games


Playaways

Example

DO NOT SEND:

Playaways